Jones Beene wrote:
As Pimentel has pointed out ...
Utterly meaningless. The guy is an antiquated and misguided zealot . . .
Because he does biology, and presents quantitative, reality-based
arguments, I suppose. I agree that in the new era of fact-free
touchy-feeling "truthiness" this kind of thing is unacceptable.
Policy can be as crazy as you like as long as it feels good, and
looks good in TV advertisements featuring yeoman farmers standing
proudly in the sunset.
with zero credibility among the decision makers on either side of
the aisle- as witnessed by the massive changes already underway.
You mean the massive mistakes now underway. Billions of dollars being
thrown away on a technology that cannot work even in principle, and
that will certainly result in the deaths of millions of innocent
people by starvation, and the destabilization of Mexico, China and
many of other countries, not to mention a drastic increase in food
prices here in the U.S. Yet another Bush administration triumph,
along with Afghanistan, Iraq and hurricane Katrina.
The "decision makers" also pay attention to food producers and
consumers. These people also have political power. The Coca-Cola
Company, for example, does not appreciate it when the government pays
other people a huge subsidy to waste Coca-Cola's raw materials.
People have come to realize that a huge giveaway program to the oil
industry -- massive, subsidized waste and grotesque inefficiency --
is not in their interest. They have been complaining in recent
months. I predict they will put a stop to this madness before half
the U.S. food crop is burned up every year as a gift to OPEC.
Advanced biofuels, on the other hand, like butanol and algoil are
here to stay.
Sure, as soon as we can grow them on Mars, I suppose. Here on planet
Earth we barely have enough room to grow enough food.
- Jed
